Tumithak of the Corridors is a collection of four novellas written by Charles R. Tanner (1896-1974).
Influenced by H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tanner creates an underground world filled with unrelenting tension, terror and adventure.
In the very far future, Mankind has been driven beneath the surface of the Earth by the Beasts of Venus, known as Shelks. For thousands of years, Mankind has dwelt underground in the pits and corridors he created in his flight from the invaders. He has lost most of his technology and knowledge of the sciences and now lives in fear of the Shelks, who periodically descend into the underground to hunt men for sport and other, less speakable, activities.
Eventually a young lad named Tumithak dreams of defying the Shelks and sets out upon a trek to find the unknown "surface" and slay a Shelk, to show that man can once again live free and set his own path to a new and brighter future. Little does he know what terrors his actions will set in motion. The Shelks, also known as "spiders", have ten legs, a human-like head, and no concept of the term "mercy", as Tumithak soon finds out.
The following titles are included in this volume. It may also include short fiction of 7,500 words or fewer, which aren't included on this site. See the ISFDB entry for a full listing of the contents. Each title can be rated independently of any books that contain it.
